The US said it would withdraw one of its aircraft carriers from the Middle East. According to ABC News, the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier strike group will leave the region after three deployment extensions since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.
The USS Gerald Ford Carrier Strike Group will leave the region after more than two months in the Mediterranean. The group will return to its home port of Norfolk, Virginia, to prepare for future deployments.
The nuclear-powered USS Gerald Ford, a small floating city with more than 4,000 people and eight squadrons of aircraft, has become a powerful symbol of America's determination to move closer to Israel after the country was attacked by Hamas on October 7, in order to prevent a larger conflict in the region.
A second strike group, the USS Dwight Eisenhower, is currently in the Gulf of Aden near Yemen to deter Houthi attacks on merchant shipping. Meanwhile, US warships in the Red Sea have intercepted missiles fired toward Israel from areas of Yemen controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. One of the US officials stressed that even if the strike group leaves, the US will retain “a lot of military capability in the region” and the flexibility to deploy more in the future.
In a related development, according to Al Jazeera television, the Israeli army said it would withdraw five combat brigades participating in the ground attack on Gaza so that the army could "strengthen its strength" for future battles.
KHANH MINH
Source
Comment (0)